Collar support



June 17, 1941. J. w. STEELE COLLAR SUPPORT Filed July 13, 1939 INVENTORJ W Stee/e ATTORN EY a June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2Claims.

The present invention relates to collar supporting devices such as areused by laundries for the purpose of reinforcing the collar portions ofgarments in the garment laundering and finishing operations, and aims toprovide a very simple and effective device of what is called thesinglesupport type, for insertion between the folds of a shirt collar.

Accordingly I have devised a support which comprises substantially asingle band of flexible material. which is designed to be insertedbetween the folds of the collar and of sufflcient extent to provide asupport throughout the curved portions of the collar as well as thefront portions thereof-with the result that all necessary portions ofthe collar are properly supported or reinforced, and also the supportitself is held firmly in position by its being gripped by the sidecurved portions of the collar.

The invention further aims to provide a supporting device which may bereadily and quickly inserted into supporting position, and of suchcontour as will enable it to operate automatically to bring the frontportions of the collar into proper relation to each other as required bythe finished condition of the garment. To this end the contour of theupper edge of the support comprises inclined portions sloping towardeach other, whereby on insertion of the support into place within thecollar said inclined portions operate to draw the front portions of thecollar toward each other into the desired position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing said modified form inoperative or supporting position, and

Figure 7 is a plan view showing another modifled form of the collarsupport.

Collar supports of the general class to which the present device relateshave all been of such I ing and reinforcing only the front portions ofWith these general objects in view the invention will now be describedby reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating suitableembodiments or forms of construction for the purpose of practicing theinvention, after which those features and combinations deemed to benovel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the collarportion of a shirt with the improved device in initial position or readyto be inserted into supporting position;

Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating an intermediate position in theoperation of inserting said support within the collar;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the device completely inserted or inoperative supporting position with the collar;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the improved device, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 5' is a similar view showing a modified form of the device:

the collar, i. e.-, forward of its curved side portionssuch curved sidesof the collar receiving very little, if any, support, and the supportingdevice (particularly if of the single-support type), depending upon itsposition within the front collar portions to retain it in its supportingposition between the collar folds.

The purpose of the present invention, therefore, is to provides. supportin which the supporting or reinforcing function is extended throughoutsaid curved side portions of the collar, and in which the device isfirmly gripped and held in place by said curved side portions; andmoreover, a device which, in the operation of inserting it, will alsoact automatically to contract the collar and draw the front collarportions into proper relation corresponding to the finished state of thegarment.

Referring to the drawing, the improved device is shown as comprising ahand or supporting strip 8 of suitable flexible, yet relatively stiffmaterial, such as cardboard or the like, and of a length coextensivewith more than two-thirds of the length of the collar neckband; thelength of the band is thus sumcient to extend around the front portionsof the collar i0 (between the inner and outer folds ii and I2 thereof)and also past the curved side portions and into the rear portion of thecollar, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3. As the collar l0 assumes anapproximately upright position with relation to the shirt H as thelatter lies flat upon the ironing board, but with the front of thecollar sloping 2 accuses relation to the finished collar. when insertedtherein as above described. Moreoventhe upper converging edges ll of theband or strip also serve automatically to contrast the collar'for thepurpose of drawing the upper front corners IQ of the collar together, inthe operation of inserting the device with the collar. as will be seenby a comparison of Figures 1 and 2.

The method of inserting the device within the shirt collar isillustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 8. The operator places the band upon theshirt front beneath the tips or points of the collar as shown in Figure1, and then thrusts the band up beneath the collar points and as far upimide the front collar portions as it will so, which results in bringingthe front corners I. together, due to the action of the converg ng edgesll of the band in contracting the collar, and also puts the front of thecollar in Just that condition to facilitate the insertion of the ends ofthe band I. Accordingly the next step is simply to bring both ends ofthe band up within the collar, simultaneously. between the inner andouter folds I I, I2, as represented in Figure 3, which is easilyaccomplished by the operator using both hands for engaging both ends ofthe device and also the rear side portions of the collar.

There is thus produced the combined operation of closing up the frontcorners ll of the collar, and inserting a reinforcement between thecollar folds which extends entirely around both the side curved portionsof the collar for proper reinforcement of the same; and in its operativeor supporting position the band is also firmly gripped or clamped bythese curved portions at the sides of the collar in such a way thatthere is no possibility of the device working out of position, but

the .device can only be removed by a deliberate act for that purpose.Moreover, the device serves to hold the front ends of the collartogether 'as shown in Figure 3 without any buttoning means at the frontof the collar.

To understand one of the important advantages of the improved support,it is pointed out that it is customary in shirt finishing operations touse a collar forming device which includes a heated form member placedinside the collar, and the heat being for the purpose of softening thest-arched portions of the collar to make them flexible enough to shapethem to the form; and as this has a tendency to stretch the neck fold ofthe collar it also tends to close up the tie or cravat space between thecollar folds, including that space between the curved side portions ofthe collar. The use of the present device (which is placed in positionbefore the use of the collarforming device), not only operates toprevent closing up the tie space in the front portions of the collarbut, being long enough to extend past the side curved portions of thecollar, it also prevents the closing up of the tie space between thosecurved portions so as to preserve ample space for the slipping of thetie or cravat all around the collar as required for manipulating thesame by the wearer.

Besides remaining in place up until the time of use of the shirt, andrequiring no buttoning of the collar at any time, an important functionIt is of course unnecessary to make the device of a specified length foreach size of collar, but only in a limited number of sizes each having acertain range of use covering a given number of collar sizes.

The modification illustrated in Figure 5 comprises a band or strip 8' inwhich is conveniently incorporated certain feature'sof the characterillustrated in my Patent No; 2,149,192 dated Feb. 28, 1939, saidfeatures being the tab elements 20 formed between the two high points orshoulders 2i, designed to function in the same manner as explained insaid patent, viz, to clamp or grip the upper front corners of the collarand thereby hold the inner edges of the seam portions 22 of the frontcollar edges in engagement with said points or shoulders 2|. Besidesthis, the tab elements 20 add a finished appearance, in the use of thedevice, as illustrated in Figure 6, and affords space for a trade-markor advertising, if desired.

As represented in Figures 5 and '7, the upper end corners of the band orstrip 8 may be suitably rounded off, as indicated at 24.

Figure 7 illustrates another modified form of band or strip 8" in whichthe feature of the high points or shoulders 2| is retained, but the tabelements are omitted from the space between said shoulders-the use oroperation'of the device being otherwise the same as has already beendescribed.

It will thus be apparent that I have devised a construction which isadapted to fulfill all the desired objects of the invention, and while Ihave shown and described suitable and practical forms thereof, Iexpressly reserve the right to make whatever changes or modificationsmay be deemed to fall within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A collar support for collar-attached shirts, comprising a singlestrip of flexible and relatively stiif material insertable between thefolds of the collar and extending across the meeting ends at the frontof the collar and also entirely around the side curved portions thereofand terminating within the rear portion of the collar.

2. A collar support for collar-attached shirts comprising a single stripof flexible and relatively stiff material for insertion between thefolds ofthe collar and across the front meeting ends thereof and beingcoextensive with more than two-thirds of the length of the neckband ofthe collar for terminating within the rear portion of the collar atpoints substantially to the rear of the maximum width of the collar.

JAMES WrSTEELE.

